11-8-10

Monday: So I`m writing in my second journal! Incredible! I completed 6 months in the mission three days ago. It`s cool to think I've completed 1/4 of my mission already. we slept in until 9:00, and then just laid in bed. It felt deli9cious. I turned 20 years old today. This is where I am still young, but am beginning to grasp the understanding of decisions and blessings of liberty. We wrote the family. I had individual messages from everyone waiting for me. They had been thinking about me all week. Mama sent me some photos of the Halloween party they had thrown for the kids. They said that through the emails, it feels like I`m right there with them. Mama, Cassie, and Devin all got season passes to my home away from home, the Provo Rec. Center. They play racquetball and swim. In the evening, we visited Sonia & Ernesto. They gave us two complements each. Robin and Bilha were next. They got their first "Liahona" and we read with them and answered questions about temple service. Elder Oversby missed his old sector. He was depressed. When we went to the Millahual`s, he felt so loved and happy. We ended at Nestor`s. He gave me a third of his super-sugary cake, an entire dinner, followed by sugared strawberries. It was so much stinking food, I had to shove it in.

Tuesday: We had our Distrizona meeting today. But before that, I threw up some of the cake of the Devil from last night. Not that Nestor`s the Devil. That cake was just evil. You`ll have to take my word on that. We introduced ourselves to each other at Distrizona. We have 3 new missionaries in our zone. We practiced teaching the law of Chastity. Nailed it! (with the help of the Spirit) We had lunch in the house. It was a crazy soup with scary things in it, and a giant home-made bread. We ate the potatoes out of the soup, but nothing more. Elder Oversby had just bought butter, so we lunched on the bread. We set out to work in the afternoon. Since he doesn't know the sector very well yet, i was in charge. His Spanish isn't too good, and he`s a bit shy, so I got to talk to the people a lot more. We were both so excited to find people. And we totally did! We taught with power, authori8ty, and confidence. I was talking in Spanish a million miles an hour, and people listened. Liset, Katalina's sister, received the first lesson. She might be even more receptive than Katalina! Tonight, we went by Nestor, to teach his nieces and nephew. Actually, it was just the nieces there. Marian gave me a b-day present: a panda bear stuffed animal covered in perfume. It smells so good. we started the Book of Mormon from the beginning. Then they were like, "Do we have to stop?" Haha!

Wednesday: We got up today and actually left a little late. Lame. But we headed out to lunch early. Elder Oversby asked if we could do contacts nearby. Then I remembered a reference Hna. Veronica gave us. We visited him. His name is Jonathan. He knew the Church when he was 12. He`s received the missionaries 1 or 2 times. He told us he knew he wasn't ready to receive the gospel, and that he was ready now. So I invited him to get baptized. He said yes, but I saw coffee and cigarettes, so we`ll see. We big him farewell and went next-door, to lunch. We told Hna. Veronica the good news. She was so happy that she invited Jonathan for lunch too. That was awkward. We rested after wards and went out for contacts. I just think it`s so cool to think about the Lord`s timing. If he waits for the right missionary to come, or maybe a specific lesson needs to be learned. I don`t know. But that`s why I don`t get discouraged when contacts reject us. Their time will come if they trust in Heavenly Father. Elder Oversby is a little shy. So I've had the opportunity to mature and teach more. I've come a long way with the language. We went to Nestor`s to read in the Book of Mormon with Marian and Llamila. We did, and Nestor gave me an mp4 as a late b-day present! Ah! Elder Oversby and I discussed our conversion (true conversion) stories on the way home. I love feeling the love of the spirit.

Thursday: I was tired today. Elder Oversby and I have been walking a lot. But this morning, we finally got to see the end of the reparations on the house. But we had to spend all of the morning cleaning. We vacuumed with the broken vacuum, tried to clean off a brown stain from the white wall and found it had just never been painted at all, and found a syrupy liquid that was strawberry milk from July that had been in the fridge since then. Needless to say, our house smells better now. We had lunch with the Bishop. I wanted to ask how the matter with Nestor was going. You see, he was accused by someone of being gay and living with another man. We've been over there many times and know that`s not true. He does have co-workers living at his house, but he`s not gay. If the witness doesn't come to her interview (again), they`re just going to give Nestor his priesthood, finally. We did contacts before going to Jonathan. We decided to teach the word of Wisdom because we saw, and smelled cigarettes (be direct and speak boldly, huh?) But it went really well, actually. He had been hospitalized about a month ago, and they told him to stop drinking alcohol. He did it. And he told us he was thinking of quitting smoking too. So we were like "okay, miracles, anyone?" These people are such great examples to me. Would I be as willing to give up what I love, for God? Oh wait, I already did. Go missionary power!

Friday: I am so happy with this transfer and my companion. We got up and were working right away. We were out, talking enthusiastically with people. One guy opened the window, covered in sweat, and without a shirt and told us it was a bad time. I just thought he had been showering. But I decided it was sweat when I heard a girly giggle and he left. :O WE hiked through the beautiful green meadow with it`s rolling hills. It was a lot less pretty when it made us sweat. We interviewed Estefanìa for her baptism tomorrow. She smoked this morning! So we`ll wait a week. I think she forgot. She`s a little old and wants to quit. We went to the Chapel for the ward FHE. Nobody came. So that was wasted time. We went to the Millahual`s. I got sunburned pretty badly today. Fernanda was assigned to ice my neck. She even rubbed my neck to help my headache. It made me lonely and I asked her to stop. Elder Oversby and I talked about it on the way home. He asked if I was starting to like her. The question caught me off-guard, and I thought about it. I decidedly said that Heavenly Father was preparing my wife for me, so I`ll wait for her. Pres. says we won`t meet our wives here. As personal advice, Oversby told me not to lie to myself. It can hurt later. I think it`s a good piece of advice. I like being honest with myself, and knowing who I am in the eyes of my Heavenly Father.

Saturday: We had a cool contact. His name`ps Francisco. At first, he told us he wasn't interested in the church. He had already looked for the truth. He knew there was a god, but he couldn't understand his personality, couldn't put a name to it. He went off on the big bang, and molecular activity, marveling at God`s work. He seemed to really be looking. I told him, with all the sincerity I could muster, that he has a Father in Heaven who loves him. That he has a plan for Francisco`s life. I bore him the strongest testimony I could, trying to love him. He seemed a little surprised and touched at what I had said, and asked when our next meeting was, at church. The spirit helped me convince someone in Spanish! We talked to another boy who said he`d know the church someday. If he knew that he was going to die the next day, he`d be doing everything he could, for his salvation...just like we`re already trying to do! A lot of people tell us "they`re too busy right now." Would they say that to Jesus? It was fun to work with Elder Oversby. There was a really deaf guy, and all the nearby dogs were barking, so my giant companion took a deep breath, but a hand to his mouth, and started conversing politely with the man...belting out at the top of his lungs. Cliche' missionary desperation to help. (In "Young Frankenstein", the horses are afraid of the name of the maid "Frau Bluker" which means "glue factory." Glue is made from horse hooves!) We did 80 contacts today.

Sunday: Today I had a hard decision to make, and a lesson I learned making it. I cried after I realized how much weighed on me. But I was strengthened when I remembered that I am a representative of Christ, doing what he would do were he here. If I make a choice and wonder if it was the Holy Ghost or me, Elder Bednar says "quit worrying about it." I hope I chose right. Nestor`s nieces and nephew didn't come to church. He said he found them smoking with friends last night. He said something that translates to 2I hit them." I chose to interpret it as spanking, and thought him in the right. We passed by later on tonight. I was resolved to let them go, out of frustration. When we arrived, Guillermo showed me a text message he had received. It said, "Even though I may look fine, in my heart I`m very, very bad." He told me it was from Marian, using pointing to tell me.I thought for a while and said, " We've taught her everything she needs to live a happy life. But right now, we've pretty much finished." But when speaking Spanish, 3rd person can be the same as talking to someone respectfully. He stood up and left. Oversby told me he saw tears. I felt awful as I realized what I said. He thought I had been talking about him. I cried and Nestor took me to his room to talk and cheer me up. I returned to see Oversby talking 2/ Guillermo. He told me after, that all of them feel trapped by Nestor. The only listen to us to make him happy. We came home and decided to leave them. I don`t feel too bad, actually. The lord will take care of them. But Oversby and I had a cry together, hugging. And then we prayed that the nieces and nephew would be provided for. I have to admit, that when I heard about all this, what Nestor said to me this morning, about hitting them, suddenly gave me chills as I realized that it might not have been spanking.